Finance: "ECA's role is to shape UEFA rules with a club vision" (Hugo Hamon)

"We want to give the clubs a say in changing the rules, so that their voices are heard. It is the regulator (UEFA) that makes and enforces the rules, but we also want to participate in them so that these rules are adaptable and take into account local specificities. ECA's role is therefore to shape them with a club vision and to make them work in collaboration with UEFA," said Hugo Hamon, head of Finance Strategy & Operations at the European Club Association, to News Tank Football on 27/04/2023.

Formerly of Lagardère Sports USA and CAA Eleven, the Frenchman joined the ECA in June 2019, a few months before the outbreak of the pandemic that forced European clubs to reflect on the viability of their models. "Covid has increased the role of finance in the life of clubs. The athletes are still the basis of the decisions because you need good players to perform and having the best administrative follow-up does not, in itself, allow a club to function well. But Covid has reinforced the importance of having business partners within the clubs who understand how our particular ecosystem works…